


Summer Dreams

by pylador19



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Fluff, It's not a huge part of the story, Light Angst, M/M, Sweet Fluff, it's just there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-29
Updated: 2017-11-03
Packaged: 2018-11-21 06:15:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11351565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pylador19/pseuds/pylador19
Summary: The purpose of having a summer holiday was to stay up late and sleep in as late as possible. It was not there to be used as an excuse to get dragged along to Seoul with one’s parents to make them look good for a business deal that would greatly help the family company, and yet, this was the situation that Donghyuck found himself in.





	1. Day 1- Damn the shellfish to hell

**Author's Note:**

> The original inspiration for this? "What's it called?" "Sex on the beach" *chokes* that's it, and this thing got created. You poor, poor souls.

The purpose of having a summer holiday was to stay up late and sleep in as late as possible (or forever how long one’s parents would permit). It was not there to be used as an excuse to get dragged along to Seoul with one’s parents to make them look good for a business deal that would greatly help the family company, and yet, this was the situation that Donghyuck found himself in.

Why should he have to go to Seoul when he had no interest in his dad’s work whatsoever? Why should he go away from Jeju? It was practically a holiday haven for Koreans, the beach was literally a ten-minute bus ride away from Donghyuck’s house! He didn’t have time to go on a forced family business trip; he had sleepovers and late-night movie marathons with Jeno and Jaemin to get started, he had postcards to send and Skype conversations to have with Chenle and Renjun. Besides, he had just turned sixteen, he was practically almost an adult in his eyes and couldn’t see why his mum wouldn’t let him stay home alone for that week.

“The last time I left you home alone you managed to burn a pan of noodles, and that was only for two hours” his mum had pointed out when Donghyuck brought up the matter.

“But you cannot deny my cooking has gotten a lot better since then” Donghyuck countered “ _And_ you can call me every night to see if I’m okay… I can even call Jaemin’s mum every night to be extra sure!”

Just when he had his mum on the idea though, his dad had stepped in and told him otherwise. The number one rule in the Lee household: what his dad says, goes, and when his dad said no Donghyuck knew he had lost this battle and spent the rest of the evening with a pout on his face, his mum neatly repacking every item of clothing he had moodily chucked into his suitcase.

Which was why Donghyuck found himself in his current situation. The family were staying in the more expensive suites owned by another Lee family his mum happened to be good friends with (something about going to the same school or university as the wife of the owner, something like that). It was also why they were currently sat in the hotel’s main restaurant with the Kim family his dad was hoping to make the deal with.

It hadn’t been bad so far. Upon arrival Donghyuck had quickly found the hotel’s wi-fi password and was making good use of that, telling his friends over their group chat just how bored he had been so far, that was until his mum had told him to put his phone away and properly greet their guests. The Kim family had a daughter around Donghyuck’s age; her name was Yerim and whilst she was a nice girl with a pretty good sense of humour, neither her nor Donghyuck had much in common so the conversation had dwindled into nothing more but small talk.

“Our eldest daughter is currently finishing her year abroad in America” the Kim father gloats “She’ll be leaving New York in a week and then coming back to finish her degree at Seoul University”

“Oh how lovely!” Donghyuck’s mum exclaims and Donghyuck isn’t sure if she genuinely thinks it’s nice, or if she’s doing it because his dad expected them all to suck up to the family. “Though he’s still far away from university, Donghyuck’s been considering whether to go abroad himself”

“Where have you been thinking of going?” Yerim asks “I want to go study in Australia, but my mum wants me to go study in America like my sister” she adds with a role of her eyes.

“I-I don’t know” Donghyuck says with a shrug “It was just a thought. I need to knuckle down in English class to make sure I can actually understand what’s being said”

“What are you hoping to study?”

Luckily Donghyuck’s interrogation ends there as the waiter cuts in with an overly cheery “Good afternoon, I’m Minhyung and I’ll be your waiter today. Can I get you some drinks?”

“Yes, please, and we would like to see the menu” Donghyuck’s dad replies and that’s when Donghyuck gets his first glimpse of fluffy dark brown hair matched with a blinding smile as the waiter returns with menus and begins taking drink orders.

Back home Donghyuck tried to avoid going to events like these with his parents as best as he could. Usual business trips were made by his dad only so it was his mum who usually cooked for him. It was rare he saw menus with dishes like these, and even then, he was having to look at the descriptions of the different choices because the names just didn’t make sense. For a kid with his upbringing, he was completely out of his depth. All the dishes Donghyuck had managed to make sense of sounded delicious, there was just one minor problem.

“I can’t eat half the stuff on the menu” he pipes up “They all have shellfish in them”

The Kim’s were perplexed. His mum and dad immediately scanned the menu to see if there were other options he could have instead.

“The whole menu has shellfish dear” the Kim mother points out and Donghyuck is screwed. He had left his EpiPen up in his room and judging from the fuss his mum was making, she had just realised the same thing as well.

“I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation” the waiter says, returning with their drinks “If you like I could get another menu for your son and explain the situation to the kitchen”

This calms his mum down instantly and gives her the opportunity to excuse herself and run back to their room and grab his EpiPen for extra precaution. It may have been unnecessary but after an incident which involved two nights in hospital when Donghyuck was five years old, she wasn’t going to take _any_ risk.  

“Besides, what weirdo has shellfish for lunch anyway” Donghyuck grumbles, not intending for anyone else to hear it, but catches what sounds like someone trying to hold back laughter, looking up and being met with the most gorgeous brown eyes of the waiter who is trying to hide the smile from his face as he hands Donghyuck over a new menu. Donghyuck shoots his gaze back down, the tips of his ears turning slightly red.

This of course doesn’t go unseen by Yerim. “He’s so cute!” she squeals when the waiter leaves, leaning across the table so it was only Donghyuck who could hear.

“What makes… what makes you say that?” Donghyuck asks, trying to act uninterested, but the look on Yerim’s face tells him she’s unconvinced.

“Seriously? Have you not looked at him?” she replies, “He’s so tall- for me anyway- and his hair looks so soft… his smile as well, he just looks so cute when he smiles!”

You forgot his eyes Donghyuck thinks but shakes his head and replies with “That’s what you think. Personally, I don’t see what’s so special” taking a sip of his Coke and trying to act casual. Trying.

 

 

 

Phone privileges were given back to Donghyuck after lunch with the Kim’s had ended, but that wasn’t before an intricate day by day plan had been drawn up, and whilst Donghyuck was hoping for some time to sleep in tomorrow after spending all day today travelling, to his dismay he would have to get up early to spend some time touring around Seoul.

By the end of lunch his dad was in a very good mood. Despite the scare of Donghyuck possibly having a reaction to the entire menu, lunch had gone off without a hitch, a good initial first impression had been made on the Kim’s.

“If we keep this up we could get the deal done by Thursday, giving us a few more days to spend to ourselves” he adds at the end of very long speech that Donghyuck hadn’t been paying attention to in the first place. Instead he had been watching the ‘argument’ happening in the group chat over whether Jeju or Seoul was the better place to live (Jaemin was originally from Seoul, there was still some bias left in him).

“Keep hanging around with me son and you’ll be learning how to make successful business deals in no time” his dad pipes up again, ruffling Donghyuck’s hair and making him whine.

“He already looks like you, now he just needs to learn the ropes of the business from you” his mum adds as all three of them laugh, but the smile instantly wipes from Donghyuck’s face the moment they move the conversation to something else.

Donghyuck spends his first evening having dinner with his mum and her old friend, the wife of the owner. There he’s introduced to her son- Taeyong? Taeyang? - who works at the bar and will hopefully take the business over from his dad one day. Cute waiter isn’t serving them this time, but Donghyuck is contempt with a more modern choice of pizza and chips rather than feeling like he was deciphering the Da Vinci Code to understand half the menu.

Talk of family business had his mum back to talking about Donghyuck’s role in the future in no time. Donghyuck hated it when she started talking about that. Not only was it boring, but it was also narrowing down his future career choices by a lot (not like he could convince his dad to change his mind anyway). His dad briefly joins them for a chat before he goes to meet the Kim father at the bar for a chat over some drinks and once again the overwhelming expectation of Donghyuck to deliver in the future is placed on him again. At sixteen. It was suffocating.

“Can I go back to our room? Please?” he eventually asks, tiring of the conversation

“This early? It’s not even nine yet” his mum points out

“I know I’m just really tired. From all the travelling we’ve done today” Donghyuck clarifies as his mum hands him their room key in exchange for a goodnight kiss on the cheek.

“Mum” he groans “Are you really making me do this?”

“No kiss, no key” his mum replies and doesn’t allow Donghyuck his freedom until he gives her what she wants. Key in his hand and a dark blush across his cheeks, Donghyuck makes a swift exit from the restaurant.

As he nears the exit Donghyuck speeds up, quickening his pace the closer he gets until at the last second, he sees someone from the waiting team come forward with a tray and Donghyuck can’t slow himself in time. The collision happens out of sight of the main area, but he’s sure the sound of the tray hitting the floor and plates and cups falling off has managed to turn a few heads.

“Shit!” he exclaims in horror, crouching down to help pick up fallen plates and cutlery, checking to see if any had been broken in the fall. “I am so sorry, I was a complete idiot who wasn’t looking”

“It’s fine” the waiter replies with a laugh “I wasn’t looking myself. I could have easily lifted this over you” 

Donghyuck, to his horror, recognises the voice and looks up to see the same gorgeous eyes of the cute waiter who had served him earlier. Great, what a way to make a good first impression.

“I-I really am sorry. I… I should have been looking” he stutters this time, reaching for another cup but cute waiter gently pushes his hand away to pick it up for himself

“It’s honestly no problem. It was just a simple accident” he reassures, placing the last plate back onto the tray. “See? No damage done!”

“Except your shirt” Donghyuck mutters, pointing to the huge sauce stain across cute waiter’s shirt who simply shrugs the matter off.

“It’s nothing. I’m sure someone in the kitchen has a spare that’ll fit me” picking up the tray as both he and Donghyuck stand up properly. Despite the ruckus and the mess that Donghyuck had just created, he’s still given another one of his amazing smiles “Now, have a good night, and don’t stress yourself about this” he adds.

Donghyuck nods and mutters a quiet goodnight before practically running out of the restaurant. He waits until he’s in the lift before slumping against the walls and letting out a loud whine. He wasn’t sure if this week was going to be one big sweet dream or his worst nightmare.


	2. Day Two- Mood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Donghyuck needs more sleep, everyone annoys him, and cute waiter almost sends him to an early death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter had to go through a massive rewrite because there was one whole section of 1500 words that was taken away to be used in another chapter. So if you're wondering "why has the quality gone from this chapter compared to the last chapter?", that's probably why (or I'm just really bad at writing I dunno).

Donghyuck spent breakfast the next morning still trying to wake up. He may have been in bed by nine, but didn’t actually get to sleep until four. This wouldn’t have been a problem if he was back home, but time was of the essence on this trip and for some reason unknown to man, Donghyuck’s dad had the family up at seven thirty ready to have breakfast at eight thirty. Was he doing this deliberately? Did Donghyuck piss him off last night? That could be the only explanation for being up at such an unearthly hour.

“You look like death” Yerim makes a point of saying

“Take a look around you Yerim” Donghyuck replies “Besides us and the couple who sound like they’re from America, nobody else is here with us. Of course I look like death, normal people aren’t up at this hour”

If Donghyuck could survive a school day with just five hours of sleep, he was sure he could get through the day running on three hours of sleep. Besides, it was just sightseeing and touring the city, how hard could it be? That was before Donghyuck nearly fell asleep on top of his breakfast for the third time in the space of twenty minutes. If Yerim hadn’t nudged his shin to wake him up, the fourth attempt would have definitely seen a croissant cushion his fall. How did his dad manage to eat a traditional Korean breakfast like this? Donghyuck couldn’t handle something as simple as a freaking croissant!

“Donghyuck dear are you alright? You’re really quiet this morning” his mum asks

“It’s only breakfast, the poor boy’s probably trying to wake up still. We were up early this morning” the Kim mother replies and finally, someone other than Donghyuck understands the barbarity of waking up so early, _especially_ in the summer.

“You obviously need to spend more time around him” his dad chimes in “Even when he’s this tired he still fires off his mouth, it’s a never-ending machine that never keeps quiet”

Everybody around the table had laughed at the comment, but Donghyuck wasn’t going to let his dad win that easily. He may have been joking about it, but Donghyuck was going to have the last laugh.  

“Must get that from you then Mr. Businessman. You know what they say; like father like son”

It’s one of his lamer comebacks Donghyuck will admit, but it does elicit louder laughs and even a couple of _oh’s_ which leave Donghyuck grinning in victory as the waiter comes around with glasses of orange juice, hopefully something that’ll manage to give Donghyuck a little spike of energy for a while. 

His glass placed in front of him Donghyuck quickly grabs it and turns to thank the waiter but freezes when he sees cute waiter standing there, a grin on his face that had matched Donghyuck’s before. Oh God, had he heard the lame comeback? Then Donghyuck’s hit with memories of running into the waiter and knocking everything on the floor. He turns back around without saying anything, but his cheeks do begin to turn a terrible shade of red.

“Oh control yourself” Yerim says and she’s lucky that Donghyuck can’t reach her to give her shin a nice little nudge.

 

 

 

Touring Seoul was as eventful as it could have been. Before leaving, Jaemin had sent Donghyuck a list of places to check out and when the two families had been planning on where they could go the previous night, Donghyuck whipped out his phone and immediately rounded of places they could try.

Which was he was waiting for a bunch of tourists to move their asses out of the way so he could get a decent shot of one of the houses in Bukchon Hanok Village. Donghyuck took a lot of pride in his camera, he updated the model more so than he did his phone- he was at least three models behind before he got an upgrade to the latest iPhone on his birthday. His camera however was without a doubt more precious to him. He had gotten some good shots already from visiting Gyeongbokgung Palace in the morning, and was now trying to get even better shots in the village.

He knew his friends would also want to see pictures so he made sure to take some on his phone to send back later on. Yerim even highjacked his phone for a bit so she could photos with him, prompting his mum to then do the same thing. His dad was too busy talking to the Kim father, and Donghyuck never bothers asking him anyway.

“These are really good” Yerim says, leaning over Donghyuck’s shoulder as he goes through the photos on his camera so far

“It’s amateur work, anybody could do this” Donghyuck replies

“Sure, amateur” Yerim shoots back with a roll of her eyes “There’s no way an amateur could capture a scene as well as you have, even the picture with your mum is gorgeous! Plus, I saw the way you positioned yourself so you could get the sun’s reflection in one of the pictures, so don’t act this way”

“Are they really that good?” Donghyuck asks quietly and Yerim quickly nods her head in reply

“Bet they’ll look even better once they’re developed”

The group try to go and visit Namsan Tower, but with the line as long as it was already they weren’t willing to wait that long and decided it could wait for another day. Shopping in Myeongdong consisted of Donghyuck finding out the most ridiculous gift shop to get Jeno and Jaemin their gifts, buying postcards for Renjun and Chenle, making a note of asking them for their addresses the next time they spoke.

Surprisingly Donghyuck was enjoying himself a lot more than he thought he would. Maybe it was to do with the fact that he wasn’t spending his time in the hotel listening in on boring business admin like he thought he would, or maybe because Yerim had been the first person to genuinely compliment him on his photography skills (compliments from his mum and his friends didn’t count). By the time lunch had arrived- in a restaurant which had a specific lack of shellfish on the menu- Donghyuck was on cloud 9 and didn’t want to go back to the hotel, he wanted to stay out for longer.

“You know, it was still brave of you to set up a business in Jeju” the Kim father says, “Most businesses I’ve heard of in the past have never bothered to tread near it or have lost major investment”

“The difference between my business and their businesses however is that they never grew up in Jeju and know where the real profit lies. Now the secret…”

Donghyuck zones out at this point, using the opportunity to send the photos to the group chat where everybody could see them and catching up on the latest gossip. SHINee were going to drop their MV teaser at any moment, he had to be prepared.  

“And what about you Donghyuck? Ready to start learning the ropes from your old man?”

Zoning back into the conversation, all eyes are on Donghyuck who shifts uncomfortably in his seat, shrugging his shoulders, “I-I don’t know… maybe? I’m only sixteen”

“Of course he’s ready, he’s learning from the best” his dad shouts over him, throwing his arm around Donghyuck and squeezing him too tight “His teachers have recently been saying that if he continues on the track he’s on now, they see him cruising into a SKY University”

Donghyuck by this point has wriggled himself out of his dad’s grip. The damage is done though and unnecessary attention is thrown back on him. He tries to smile and shrug it all off but then questions are being thrown that he doesn’t have the answers to and if his mum hadn’t stepped in when she did he was pretty sure he was going to get extremely flustered. Just like that, his day had been ruined.

 

 

 

Donghyuck sits in the bar area checking his messages, Jeno and Jaemin had seen the photos that he had sent, but according to Jaemin’s status there was a new Spiderman movie to watch and Jaemin was so excited he was quote “going to explode into a million pieces” with a dozen emoji’s which Donghyuck couldn’t make sense of himself.

Turns out sightseeing around the city was a lot more tiring than he thought it was be. As soon as her head hit the pillow, his mum was out for the count with the promise his dad would wake her up before dinner. Not wanting to stay in his room and listen to his dad’s business calls, Donghyuck took his laptop and went downstairs to find a seat in the bar area near a window. He had been hoping for a Skype call with his friends, but Jeno and Jaemin were out at the cinema and Renjun was still with Chenle in the hospital. The exact details of the accident were still sketchy as to what exactly happened: from what Donghyuck could figure out, Renjun and Chenle were the only two people who thought ice skating in July was a good idea. Then there was something about Chenle teasing Renjun across the rink and finished with a freak fall that had Chenle currently in hospital for the couple of days now sporting a newly broken leg. In Jeno’s words; karma.

Not wanting to return to his room just yet, Donghyuck makes himself comfy at his table and makes use of the hotel internet. The weather isn’t as hot as it had been forecasted for the city in the past couple of weeks, but the lack of breeze in the air made the air stuffier than usual. Watching a YouTube video, Donghyuck found his eyes slowly closing and fights to keep them open. With nothing to do however his eyes get heavier and heavier until he slowly falls…

“Donghyuck! Wake up!”

Jolting up in his seat, Donghyuck’s dad sighs angrily and shakes his head, moving back to give his son some space “Do you know how worried you’ve made your mother?” he asks angrily “You haven’t answered your phone, you didn’t tell me where you were going, we’ve been looking all over for you!”

Donghyuck’s still trying to properly wake up as his dad pulls him up from his seat, telling him he needs to get back to their room and get ready for dinner before they’re late.

“Alright, I get it!” Donghyuck says back, raising his voice and pulling his arm out of his dad’s grip “Wouldn’t want to be late to your precious dinner, would you?”

His dad ignores him and tells him to hurry up before exiting the bar. Rolling his eyes, Donghyuck turns back to his laptop to pick it up. He doesn’t remember closing it, let alone shutting it down before he fell asleep, but he isn’t bothered that much with the matter, he’s more concerned about getting back to his room before another argument breaks out with his dad again.

 

 

 

By the time Donghyuck’s sat at the table for dinner he’s in an even more foul mood than he had been previously. The moment he was back in his room, there was another lecture from his mum waiting for him just as there had been from his dad, and that had started a mini argument between the three, itself ending in Donghyuck not talking to them for over an hour.

His mood only worsened due to the lack of sleep that he had gotten the night before. Really, he was just a stereotypical teenage boy who was in a mood because he hadn’t been sleeping properly and, unfortunately, was acting like a stereotypical teenage boy who was taking his mood out on everybody else. Cute waiter wasn’t serving the guests tonight and Donghyuck was grateful he wasn’t; not even poor Yerim could escape his wrath, and all she had done was ask Donghyuck if he wanted to use her napkin after he had dropped his on the floor.

Every little thing was getting on his nerves, to the point where even a waiter at another table was annoying him. It all got to a point where he couldn’t take it anymore and scraped his seat across the floor as he jumped up, the whole table and some guests nearby turning towards him.

“… I’m going out for some fresh air” he says before walking away and straight to the poolside area of the resort.

There’s nobody else outside aside for the occasional smoker and Donghyuck finds a deckchair as far away from the entrance to the bar and dining area as he can. Once seated he closes his eyes and lets out a long and tired sigh. He stays in this position and lets the evening breeze gently caress him. It’s chillier than it has been most nights and Donghyuck can feel the goose bumps across his body, but he doesn’t care. Every minute he spends outside is much more relaxing than spending another second inside.

Finally opening his eyes, Donghyuck expects to see the sky above him. Instead he screams and falls out of the chair when he sees cute waiter looming over him and reaching out for him.

“I’m sorry!” cute waiter exclaims, running over to check on Donghyuck, who now has a hand over his chest

“You gave me a heart attack! I think I’m gonna die!” he exclaims and though it is a major exaggeration, it does certainly feel like it.

“I’m really sorry! I came out for a break and I saw you here and I was just checking to make sure that you hadn’t fallen asleep again!”

Again?

“… so that was you who turned off my laptop earlier?” Donghyuck asks, still on the ground

“Y-yeah” the cute waiter replies “Taeyong wanted me to wake you up, but you looked like you were comfortable and I didn’t want to disturb you… so I turned off your laptop and left you alone until your dad woke you up”.

Both realise at this point that Donghyuck is still on the floor and cute waiter is still looming over him. Chuckling nervously, cute waiter holds out his hand to help Donghyuck up, and Donghyuck isn’t sure if it’s obvious how easily cute waiter can tell how this action is affecting him.

“I’m hoping I wasn’t disturbing anything when I scared you” cute waiter says, letting go of Donghyuck’s hand when he’s finally upright

“No, I just came out for some fresh air. I needed a cool down after a… stressful day” Donghyuck explains as the cute waiter sighs and shakes his head, sitting down on the seat that Donghyuck previously occupied.

“I understand completely” he begins “I was only meant to be working breakfast today but one of the evening staff called in sick last minute so I had to take their place. It’s busier than usual and people are just so rude tonight”

“Well… at least you get paid to be in a mood. All I get is moodier parents who argue back at me”

Cute waiter laughs at Donghyuck’s answer and it’s the cutest laugh that Donghyuck’s heard from someone ever, it’s even cuter than Jeno’s and that’s saying something. The two stay there for a while longer and Donghyuck wants to talk to the waiter, but doesn’t know what to say, nor has the courage to say anything. Their time together is cut when another waiter comes out and asks cute waiter to get back in and help. Sighing, cute waiter gets up and turns to Donghyuck, smiling at him.

“Thanks for the mini therapy session” he says, “and sorry, again, for scaring you like that”

Walking back inside, cute waiter stops by the door and turns back to Donghyuck “I forgot to ask what your name was” he calls over

“D-Donghyuck”

“Donghyuck? I’m Minhyung! I’ll see you around!”

When his mum eventually comes outside to talk to him, she finds him slumped in his chair with his hand on his chest, still in the exact same position that cute waiter, no, Minhyung had left him in after asking for his name. The family were still in Seoul for another five days. Donghyuck was royally screwed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't even started the next "day" yet. I have a rough idea of what's going to happen and from where I can see it going, it may be split into two parts? I'm not quite sure yet. I can probably get it all into one long ass chapter I'm not sure. 
> 
> What I can give away though is that there is more Mark/Haechan interaction, cameo's from friends on both sides, and an appearance from the original prompt that helped create this story...


	3. Day 3, Part One- Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Old friends make appearances, new friends are made, and Donghyuck gets to experience the joys of sex on the beach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna put a little note here for underage drinking. It's nothing major, but I thought I'd put it there just in case, you know? 
> 
> Also this is split into two parts, purely because as writing the full day, I realised that there's a point where I could split it and branch off into two parts, otherwise this chapter would have been way too long for my liking I think.

“Lee Donghyuck, care to tell us who _this_ is?”

Jaemin thrusts his phone into the screen and Donghyuck catches the photo of himself and Yerim when the two families went touring the city. Having no particular schedule where he had to be with his parents today, Donghyuck took advantage of the weather and was currently sat out by the pool, picking the best deckchair that had access to both sunshine and shade, lest he wanted to be as bright red as a lobster by the end of the day. Yerim had joined him earlier before rushing off to get ready, something about meeting a friend. Regardless, Donghyuck was not bothered about being by himself as he enjoyed the weather.

“Hm? Oh, that’s Yerim. She’s the daughter of the guy my dad’s hoping to strike a deal with” he explains “You’d guys like her, she’s pretty cool”

“Just cool? Nothing else?” Jaemin asks, look through the rest of the photo’s that Donghyuck had sent. Unlike Jeno who had looked through them, he saw the photo of Donghyuck and Yerim only and wouldn’t stop going on about them two until their Skype conversation.

“You’re beginning to sound like my mum” Donghyuck jokes with a laugh “And yeah, just cool. Besides, she’s not really my type”

“So, what is your type?”

Donghyuck pauses and blushes, muttering a few things under his breath before he quietly replies, “That’s the thing I’m still trying to figure out” and nothing more had to be said for his friends to get the point.

Donghyuck rarely spoke about his sexuality openly, not even in front of his friends. They knew enough to offer him support and just be there for him which he was immensely grateful for, it was his parents that was Donghyuck’s biggest hurdle. He had been dropping hints to his mum whenever talk of any ‘girlfriends’ popped up and Donghyuck could see the cogs start to turn in her head, it was his dad he was most afraid of. He was more of a traditional man and that was exactly why Donghyuck didn’t want to tell him anything.

“Okay, we’ll drop the whole Yerim thing” Jaemin concedes “But you have you found anyone else you like the look of?”

“… well, there is this waiter” Donghyuck replies, and his friends perk up from the other side of the laptop screen, telling him to spill everything. As he was about to tell them everything though, Renjun’s icon had popped up on the screen, and when he was added to the conversation, he was with a tired Chenle who was supporting a bright green leg cast.

“Guess who’s finally out of the hospital!” he cheers, Donghyuck looking around embarrassedly when Jaemin cheers with him and others around the pool stare at Donghyuck strangely.

“You’re just in time! Donghyuck was about to tell us about this waiter he’s got his eyes on in Seoul!”

Donghyuck recounts everything that had happened over the past two days since arriving. From how he had bumped into Minhyung and sent a tray of plates, cutlery and glasses crashing to the floor, to when Minhyung had scared him outside and they had formally introduced themselves.

“Dude, just marry him already!” Jaemin exclaims when Donghyuck finishes “Or… just, get to know him some more, show him you’re interested in him”

“Yeah like that’s ever gonna happen” Donghyuck scoffs “I don’t even know if he… leans that way. What if I talk to him and he just shoots me down, huh? What will I do then? Remember, I’m here for a whole week. That’s not a lot of time to get someone to fall for me!”

“Dude, you really need to get some more confidence in you” Renjun says

“How can I when I was the confidence of a paper plate?”

“Paper plates don’t have any confidence” Chenle points out, a confused expression across his face as Donghyuck sighs and slumps back in his seat

“Exactly my point!”

The conversation then turns to the group devising a strategy whereby Donghyuck could talk to Minhyung and not make a complete fool of himself/ any possible chance he has of getting with this guy, should he also be interested in men himself. It’s ridiculous to witness and Donghyuck’s hurt that even Jeno is taking part in the conversation.

“Now the key here is pace. Donghyuck doesn’t want to take it too slow because otherwise it could get to the end of the week and he’d have missed an opportunity. At the same time he doesn’t want to move too fast or he’ll scare the guy away before any progress can be made”

Donghyuck rolls his eyes are Jaemin’s ‘tactical speech’, when at the corner of his eye he spots a familiar figure walking out from the bar. When he properly gets a look, Minhyung spots him, waving and beginning to walk over.

“I have to go” Donghyuck says, bolting back to his laptop

“But we were just about to devise a plan for you” Jaemin whines

“ _I have to go_ ” Donghyuck insists again “The waiter is walking right over here”

Chenle and Jaemin instantly squeal like a couple of school girls, and with shouts of good luck and to not waste any opportunities, Donghyuck shut down his Skype and shuts his laptop fast before Minhyung is finally standing over him with a smile.

“Mind if I join you?” he asks, pulling up an empty deck chair and sitting next to Donghyuck. The first couple of minutes are quiet and awkward on Donghyuck’s part. Minhyung does most of the talking and Donghyuck only nods and laughs when it feels right to, speaking only when Minhyung directs a question at him or look for an answer.

“You’re very quiet today. Nothing like the scared guy you were last night” he teases as Donghyuck blushes slightly

Because you’re sat here with me and I don’t know what to do Donghyuck thinks, but instead reaches for his empty glass and pouts. “My glass is empty and I wanted to get a drink but you were busy talking so I didn’t want to seem rude”.

His response this time makes Minhyung frown before he begins standing up “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” he asks “I know Korea is all for respecting elders or others around you, but if you’re thirsty tell me next time. It’s not like I’m gonna shout at you or anything! Come on, I’ll buy it for you”

Donghyuck spends the walk to the bar protesting that he had enough money to get his own drink and that Minhyung didn’t have to buy him anything. Minhyung counters by saying he has to make a good impression on his newest friend and at the word friend, Donghyuck falls silent.

 

 

 

During the daytime, especially the time between lunch and dinner, the bar was exceptionally quiet, save for a couple of people looking to stay in the shade rather than get hot outside. Donghyuck and Minhyung were the only two to go up to the bar, where it was only the barman whom Donghyuck recognised as Taeyong, and another guy who was sat by it with his head in his hands groaning.

“You have no one to blame but yourself” Taeyong nags “It’s a good thing someone owed you and offered to cover for you! Hopefully next time you’ll think before you drink”

“I’ve never seen Yuta look so rough” Minhyung comments “How much did you drink last night?”

“That doesn’t matter” Yuta groans “Mark, do me a favour and grab a drill. Just drill a hole in my head like they did in ancient times, hopefully that’ll get rid of the hangover. I swear someone out there is punishing me”

“Mark?”

Taeyong and Yuta turn and face the owner of a voice they do not recognise. Donghyuck stands there perplexed, and Yuta is just as perplexed as well, Donghyuck can just about make a frown from where his hands cover his face.

“Oh yeah, Minhyung’s my Korean name” Minhyung explains “I’m from Canada and come here to work for money during the summer. Taeyong’s my cousin so this was easy” before he turns to the other two “Guys, this is Donghyuck, Donghyuck the hungover guy is Yuta and this is Taeyong”.

“I recognise him” Taeyong replies “His mum and my mum are old friends and we met each other recently. Mark, you’re exactly who I’ve been looking for! Yuta’s too hungover and everyone else is working. Want to try some of the new cocktails we’re planning on adding?”

“Whilst I’m eighteen, I can’t drink legally over here, remember? I’m not nineteen until next month” Minhyung points out, but Taeyong waves the comment away

“As long as nobody sees you or I give you permission it’s fine! What do you say?”

Mulling it over, Minhyung eventually agrees and Taeyong starts making the first cocktail, handing Minhyung the first glass, a red and orange coloured drink.

“Wanna try some?” Taeyong then asks Donghyuck

“I-I’m only sixteen” Donghyuck replies

“Ah it’s fine. Me and Yuta are adults and I’ll give you a tiny bit” Taeyong replies, seeing how hesitant Donghyuck is “It’s fine if you don’t want to. Nobody’s pressuring you”

“… as long as it doesn’t taste like white wine I’m fine” Donghyuck says, shuddering at the memory of the time his dad let him try a bit of his drink.

With his glass having a significantly lower amount of alcohol than Minhyung’s, Donghyuck takes his first sip. Expecting it to have the same taste as wine, he’s presently surprised when a fruity mix hits his taste buds instead.

“This is nice!” he exclaims “What’s it called?”

“Sex on the beach” Taeyong replies, laughing when Donghyuck chokes on his next sip and pats him on the back to help him out.  

At Minhyung’s protest, Donghyuck is not allowed to try anymore drinks, worried about how low his tolerance could be and having to explain to his parents why their son was drunk. The taster session finishes when a team of waiters begin setting the room up for dinner and Minhyung and Donghyuck take this as their cue to leave.

“Are you having dinner with your parents?” Minhyung asks as they both walk up to the lobby

“I don’t think so… my dad never said anything about it” Donghyuck replies

“Well tonight is my evening off and I was gonna go in the city for a bit. Wanna tag along?”

Donghyuck pauses in surprise. Was Minhyung actually asking him this? Especially after only knowing him for two days?

“… I… I’ll have to check with my mum. So stay here, and I’ll be as quick as I can”

Deciding that the elevator would be too slow, Donghyuck runs up the stairs. The family are only staying on the fourth floor, but that still doesn’t stop his mum from jumping back in surprise when her son crashes into their room panting.

“Is it… alright… to go exploring… the city… for a while?” he asks between breaths

“Who will you be going with?” his mum asks back

“… Yerim” Donghyuck replies, not wanting to have to explain to her that he’s going with a guy they only know as a waiter at the hotel.

“I don’t see why not. Do you have you phone?”

“I never leave without it”

“And your EpiPen?”

“Now getting it” Donghyuck replies, running over to his bedside drawer.

With a promise that he’d be back before it got dark, Donghyuck gives his mum a quick hug and runs out of the room and back down the stairs. Once in the lobby, he spots Yerim coming out of the elevator herself, making her jump when he shouts for her.

“I need you to cover for me. I told my mum I’m spending the evening with you, so if anyone asks, I’m with you” he says and Yerim is about to ask him who he’s actually with, but stops and grins when she spots Minhyung.

“Please don’t” Donghyuck begs as she starts squealing herself “You’re just as bad as the others” he whines, quickly hugging her and rushing over to Minhyung, who is still patiently waiting for him.

“So where are we going?” he asks as Minhyung smiles at him

“Don’t worry. I know somewhere we can go”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shameless promotion time, but I recently got back into Tumblr and decided to make myself an account. You should come say hi, or whatever, I've only recently created my account so there's nothing special right now. 
> 
> But yes, definitely say hi, come talk to me, ask me about stuff I've written. I really don't bite! I think I'm quite lovely! 
> 
> Here's my Tumblr if you wanna follow: https://pylador19.tumblr.com/


	4. Day 3, Part Two- Dance, dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bonds grow stronger, dreams are realised, and a kid beats Donghyuck's and Minhyung's asses in dancing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kind of realised after the previous chapter that I had all of the Dream members in the story somewhere except Jisung and I felt really bad. 
> 
> Also, yes, I did name this chapter after a Fall Out Boy song.

A short bus journey from the hotel and the two were in the heart of the city. Despite it approaching late evening time, the city was still very much alive and bustling, made even busier by the summer holidays being well and truly in the process.

“Stay close to me, okay?” Minhyung calls back to Donghyuck who nods in reply, at one point reaching forward and grabbing a hold of the end of Minhyung’s shirt so that he wouldn’t lose him in a crowd. If this bothered the elder or made him uncomfortable, he didn’t say so otherwise as he pushed them both through and into an area where the crowd had loosened up. Only then did Donghyuck release his grip.

“The food at the hotel is too bland and over expensive” Minhyung begins “But nothing can beat some good all street food!”

“As long as it’s not shellfish I’ll happily eat anything you put in front of me” Donghyuck jokes, smiling when he hears Minhyung laugh in front of him

“How does some good old fried chicken sound instead?”

After much protest and a mini argument ensuing between the two of them, Donghyuck reluctantly allowed Minhyung to pay for their food with the promise that he would get them something later on in the evening. Fried chicken brought, the two found some space in a nearby park to sit and enjoy the food, basking in the last of the evening sun.

“So, you’re actually called Mark?” Donghyuck asks

“Yep. I use Minhyung when I’m over here though, it’s much easier and I don’t have to keep explaining to people where I’m from or why I’m here like Yuta has to. It’s laziness really, but it avoids repetition becoming annoying” Minhyung explains

“Which name do you prefer being called?”

“Whichever you like”

Donghyuck pauses to think, taking a bite off some of chicken, shrugging his shoulders. “Mark the Canadian sounds better than Minhyung the Korean waiter. But I’ve only called you Minhyung so it’d be weird if I started calling you something else”.

Minhyung cocks an eyebrow up at the end of Donghyuck’s explaining, smiling as he asks, “Are you saying my name is weird?”

“That’s your thought not mine” Donghyuck replies as Minhyung gently pushes him to the floor, whining when he drops his last piece of chicken onto the grass.

“Karma!” Minhyung exclaims, before Donghyuck pushes him and only one last of good chicken is left between the two of them. Donghyuck picks it up and jumps off the grass, beginning to run away with it before Minhyung jumps up and chases after him.

 

 

 

The next place Minhyung takes him is to a nearby arcade. Donghyuck proceeds to kick Minhyung’s butt at air hockey, before Minhyung destroys him at the basketball game to see who could throw the most balls into the hoop before their time was up. Trash talking continued and before they went to fight each other out on a shooting game, their attention was drawn to a crowd of people gathered around the DDR machine where two people were currently fighting it out. A young boy was completely destroying the routine, his opponent giving up towards the end, completely out of breath.

“Who’s next?” the boy challenges, but nobody moves forward, until Minhyung points at Donghyuck

“He’ll have a go!” he replies, pushing him forward as Donghyuck turns towards him with wide eyes

“Dude, what the hell are you doing?” he shouts in surprise as the boy waits patiently for him to step up.

“What? You were bragging you were good at _every_ game in this arcade, so go prove it! Or are you too chicken to go up against someone younger than you?”

This pulls Donghyuck into action, sparing a last glance at Minhyung, he steps up onto the DDR machine to face the boy. The boy starts smirking the moment he steps up, letting Donghyuck pick the track they will dance to, so long as it’s on the most difficult setting. In the reflection of the machine, Donghyuck can see Minhyung recording him on his phone, and vows to get revenge one way or another once this is over.

Unlike others who had challenged the boy, Donghyuck had managed to get through the whole dance routine. He hadn’t won, in fact the gap between his score and the boy’s winning score was abysmal. Stepping off the machine, out of breath, Donghyuck nudges Minhyung when he can hear the elder laughing at him.

“Alright then, if you think you’re so good, why don’t you have a go!” he protests, catching his breath

Shrugging his shoulders, Minhyung steps up onto the machine and once again the boy allows him to choose the song. Like Donghyuck, he doesn’t get close to beating the boy, but his score difference is not as bad as Donghyuck’s had been.

“How are you so good?” Minhyung asks the boy, who finally steps of the machine with no one left to dance against him

“I like dancing and I want to be a dancer when I grow up, so this is pretty easy for me I guess” he says

“What’s your name?” Donghyuck asks

“Jisung”

“Well Jisung, this is not the end. Give me a couple of months and I’ll come back with a friend of mine who’s just as good and will give you a run for your money!” Donghyuck challenges, making Jisung smile

“Bring it on”

 

 

 

Exhausting all means of the arcade, Minhyung and Donghyuck finally leave, a call from Donghyuck’s mum telling them that it was time to come back to the hotel. They don’t rush for the bus however, taking their time to walk to the nearest bus stop.

“So, what do you want to do when you finish school?” Minhyung asks

“Honestly, I don’t know” Donghyuck replies “My dad has it all planned out in his mind that I’ll go to a top university, maybe study abroad, and take over his business when he retires. I’ve hinted at him this isn’t what I want to do, but he just brushes it away or ignores me. What about you?”

“About to start my second year studying music” Minhyung replies proudly “Glided through my first year, now I’m working for the summer to save up money so I don’t rely on my parents”

“And you’re doing this here instead of Canada because?”

“My aunt offered me a job here when I turned sixteen, and it was easier to start than looking for a job back home”

Donghyuck nods and pauses for a moment, biting his lip before he speaks again “Do you parents mind? That you’re studying music?”

“At first, they kept pushing other options such as medicine and maths, but they could see how passionate I was and have learned to live with it now I guess”

“… I really like photography” Donghyuck says quietly “And languages. If I could I’d study photography or English so I could be a translator”

The only other people he had told about his passions had been his friends and his mum. His mum could see how much he loved photography, especially with how much he took care of his camera as opposed to anything else he has ever owned. Likewise, how much he fusses over whether the lighting and the angle was right.

“This is something you’re obviously passionate about, if you properly research into universities that can offer you what you want, show your dad that this is truly something you want, then he might come around” Minhyung offers, and Donghyuck nods in thought.

“Maybe” he replies “My mum will probably be a lot easier to convince. If I can get her on my side, she may be able to convince my dad”

The more he begins to think about, the more he’s starting to like the sound of it. Why should he have to do what his dad wanted? He could do _whatever_ he wanted! It was a free country, he would almost be an adult by the time he entered university, he could make his own decisions!

His thoughts are interrupted when he feels something hit his forehead, pausing, he has just about enough time to look up at the sky before the heavens opened into a shower, both him and Minhyung running towards the nearest shelter.

“What are we gonna do?” Donghyuck asks, “The next bus is in ten minutes and if we don’t make that one we’re gonna be out here for longer… my mum will _kill_ me!”

Minhyung is about to suggest that they just get a taxi and that Donghyuck can pay him back another time, then an even crazier idea pops into his head that has him smiling like a crazy man.

“You’re a decent runner, right?” he asks

“… average I guess… why?” Donghyuck questions back, frowning, before Minhyung is smiling again and grabbing his hand, pulling him out in the rain as they both run for the bus stop.

Donghyuck shouts in protest the second he’s pulled out, but then he can hear Minhyung cheering and laughing as they run, his laugh getting louder when Donghyuck almost slips over and he stops him from falling altogether. Only then does Donghyuck start laughing as well, and though he’s bound to get told off for coming back so wet, he’s enjoying every second of it.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DDR= Dance Dance Revolution


	5. Day 4- Support

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Donghyuck's dad is a bit of a dick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, this chapter is pretty... would you call it angsty? Well, whatever it is, it's the complete opposite as to what the next chapter was. I don't regret anything. 
> 
> (Plus I was so out of my depth researching photography universities and the time difference between Seoul and Toronto. It felt more like a research project than an actual chapter writing experience)

After being scolded by his mum for coming back soaked, and made to have a shower before he collapsed onto his bed, Donghyuck spent the majority of the night on his laptop researching. Declining his parent’s offer to go downstairs to the bar with them, he spent the rest of the evening thoroughly researching his choices for universities he could go to after graduating from school.

There was still a couple of years until Donghyuck actually finished, but if he was going to try and make a convincing argument to get his dad on board, he had to start researching now.

“Are you going to tell me why you were on your laptop all night? Or will I have to sit here and guess?” his mum asks the next morning at breakfast, both of them sat in the bar and restaurant waiting for Donghyuck’s dad and the Kim family to arrive.

“Well… I-I was actually researching” Donghyuck replies, “Researching universities”

His mum perks at the admission, waiting for her son to continue “S-so I was only researching one of the subject I’m interested in, and I found a number of universities that offer photography courses both here in Korea and abroad” he begins “And… and I found a number of them. So, in this country there’s obviously the Seoul Institute of Arts, but I also found another university called Shingu College. That’s not all though! There are also other universities abroad such as the University of the Arts in London and the New York Institute of Photography… but they’re just first thoughts. I mean, there’s still a couple of more years yet”.

Initially, his mum is silent and Donghyuck takes this silence to assume the worse. When he musters up the courage to look at her though, he finds her smiling at him. “You’re very interested in photography, aren’t you?” she asks and Donghyuck nods in agreement.

“But it’s not just that, there’s also English so I can work as a translator. I haven’t started researching that though”

“Well, the next time we’re both free, I can help you research some universities, if you would like” his mum offers, and Donghyuck smiles at her gratefully as they’re joined by the others.

His dad and the Kim father are- as usual- talking amongst themselves. His mum and Yerim’s mum ask to see photos they had taken on their little trip out the previous night. Luckily, Donghyuck had sent Yerim pictures beforehand to show in case she had been asked, and Donghyuck passed his mum his phone so she could have a look as well.

Talking to Yerim, he doesn’t notice the look his mum shoots him when she comes across a photo of him and Minhyung. She recognises the second person, but doesn’t say anything to her son, not at that moment anyway. For now, she’ll scroll past the photo and mention it to him another time when they’re in private.

“These photos are very nice!” the Kim mother exclaims

“Donghyuck took them all, he’s a real master” Yerim says and Donghyuck blushes slightly

“It’s really nothing” he mutters as his mum shows his dad some of the photos. He doesn’t take that much of an interest as others though, and the smile that was on Donghyuck’s face fell.

“Have you ever thought about pursuing photography in the future?” the Kim mother asks, and Donghyuck goes to reply, but his dad beats him to it, cutting him off.

“Why would he do that when everything has been planned out for him already?”

The silence that follows isn’t awkward, but something definitely does hang in the air. Donghyuck could have been silenced and left his dad to dictate his future like that, but something inside of him snapped, and before he could shut himself up, he was opening his mouth and words were spilling out.

“Actually, I have been thinking about pursuing photography” he replies, “In fact, before all of you arrived, I was telling my mum about some universities I had been researching which offer photography courses”

Yerim, watching with a smile on her face, moves her attention from Donghyuck, to his dad. He’s obviously stunned by his son’s answer, even stopping the bite he was about to take, before laughing off Donghyuck’s comments and shaking his head.

“It’s probably just a phase he’s going through. Give it a week and he’ll have moved onto something else” he jokes, even laughing, but Donghyuck doesn’t see the humour in his choice of words.

“It’s not a phase” he replies, “In fact, if you’d actually take notice of me for once, you’d see that I actually like quite a lot and I’m actually alright at it”

Silence again falls amongst the group. Nearby, Minhyung can see that something is going on. He’s not serving their table this morning however, so he’s not allowed to find anything else out. Yerim sits there taking it all in, waiting for the next strike to happen.

“Donghyuck, we will not be doing this here. Eat your breakfast and we’ll discuss this later” his dad warns

“Why are you always like this? Why do you always shoot my dreams down?” Donghyuck asks

“I said not now!”

“Why not? If you shut this conversation down now, we’ll never discuss this again! Why can’t you just accept the fact that I want to do something different? Huh?” Donghyuck argues “Why is it that being your only child you just assumed I’d happily walk into your job? When you’ve done nothing to introduce me to your work?”

His dad remains silent, and now other guests from other tables are beginning to stare at their table. Frustration builds up in Donghyuck at the lack of communication from his dad. So much so that he begins to shout at him, “Talk to me! Please!”

“This stops right now!” his dad snaps, raising his voice slightly, “Sit down, shut up, and get these silly ideas out of your head, _you stupid boy!_ ”

Donghyuck spares his dad a last glare before he bolts out of the restaurant and up to their hotel room. He barely makes it in before he begins crying and locks himself in the bathroom.

 

 

 

Finally getting to go to Namsan Tower should have been an enjoyable occasion for the whole party. Not being able to get there previously, they had set out extra early to ensure they could get there in good time and have a chance to get a look around. The earlier argument still hung over the group however, and Donghyuck spent the time at the tower ignoring his dad completely. He kept a gap between them and continued on like he usually did; talking to everybody else in the group, taking pictures, even having a laugh with Yerim. When it came to his dad however, he continued to ignore him. When it came to the group photo, Donghyuck put his mum in between them both so that he didn’t have to be near him.

The silent treatment even continued at the hotel during dinner that evening. If Donghyuck wouldn’t speak to his dad, then his dad wasn’t going to speak to him. The rest of the party tried to keep the atmosphere alive, but there was still that feeling of dread and nervousness. Even Minhyung couldn’t get anything out of Donghyuck as he served their table, shooting Yerim looks that she returned with her own uncertainty.

“Can I hang out with you for a bit?” Donghyuck had asked her after dinner “I don’t want to go back to my room yet”

Hanging out with Yerim consisted of lying on her bed whilst she Skyped with her sister. Donghyuck doesn’t mind, staying on his phone quietly and listening to her talk, at least he doesn’t have to be in a room with his dad. 

He knew, though, that eventually he’d have to face his dad, leaving Yerim’s hotel room only when her parents had returned and slowly made his way up to his room. As he was about to enter, he paused when he heard his mum raise her voice. She rarely did that as it was, and Donghyuck stayed outside his room, listening to the argument.

“I’m asking you why you can’t just be supportive of him?” she asks angrily “He’s your son for crying out loud!”

“Because of the way he embarrassed me. I will _not_ have _any_ child of mine speak to me like that!”

“You didn’t have to call him a stupid child! Can’t you see how passionate he is? For once can’t you just support him instead of knocking him back at every hurdle? He’s going to have no confidence by adulthood if you continue to do this!”

Donghyuck walks away from the rest of the argument and back downstairs, sitting by the edge of the pool, letting his feet play in the water.

“You know, you really shouldn’t be out here this late at night. If you get into trouble, nobody will be here to help you”

Minhyung takes off his shoes and rolls up his work trousers before joining Donghyuck by the pool, sighing in content when the water touches his feet. “Man I’ve been waiting to do this all night!”

“… I took your advice, tried talking to my parents. You probably saw what happened next” Donghyuck says

“Saw? More like heard. I think the whole of the restaurant heard your little spat!” Minhyung exclaims before sighing, “I am sorry though, for how your dad spoke to you. But, I also heard the conversation you had with your mum before. She seemed to be on board! You have to take that as a positive!”

“I guess… but it looks like my dad will never be on board, no matter how hard I try”

“Screw him then!” Minhyung cuts in “Who’s he to dictate your life anyway? Your mum believes that you can do well. Yerim believes you can do it, from what you’ve told me. If it helps, I believe you can do it as well. But if you change your mind and want to study English, I’ll happily Skype with you so you can speak English some more. Thirteen-hour time difference in Canada or not!”

A smile begins to creep its way back onto Donghyuck’s face. Wanting to see him smile and hear him laugh, Minhyung splashed Donghyuck with water, laughing evilly when Donghyuck looks at him shocked, before splashing him back.

“Hey, I need these clothes for tomorrow!” Minhyung shrieks

“Your fault for splashing me then!” Donghyuck replies, laughing loudly when Minhyung splashes him one more time.

He’s more than likely going to get told off for coming back soaked again, but he honestly couldn’t care. As long as he had Minhyung there to cheer him up when he felt down, Donghyuck honestly couldn’t care what anybody had to say him next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, as I was updating this chapter I saw that this had reached over 100 kudos, and I rarely get that in stuff that I write, so thank you so much guys! Also, your comments always make me laugh with each update! You guys are awesome!


	6. Day 5- Heart to heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Donghyuck and Yuta have a heart to heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Football = Soccer

On their fifth day in Seoul, Donghyuck’s dad and the Kim father meet early in the morning for an extensive and critically important meeting as his dad had put it. It was to be the meeting that would ultimately decide whether a business deal could be agreed between them or not. It was a pretty big deal, his dad had business associates fly in from Jeju specifically for this meeting. It was also why Donghyuck paid extra attention to steering clear of his dad; they still weren’t talking to each other, and Donghyuck didn’t want his dad stressing out to be the cause of another argument.

“Wow, sucks to be you right now”

Donghyuck nods his head and takes a sip of his drink. His mum had gone out with her old friend, Yerim, and the Kim mother into the city. He had been asked to come along, but instead he opted for a quiet day by the pool, currently Skyping his friends and updating them on the events of the previous day.

“Now you’ll believe me the next time I tell you there is nothing good about being a Lee” he replies, sighing as he does so

“Where’s your dad now?”

“In some meeting. Didn’t stick around to find out what, but it looks important. Even my mum isn’t allowed to come to the meeting”

Donghyuck stirs the conversation away from his argument with his dad and instead asks his friends what they’ve been doing since the last time they spoke. Chenle still lamented about his cast, whining that he was missing out on his parents going on holiday to Shandong and he had to stay behind him Beijing with his grandmother and Renjun so his leg could heal. Donghyuck took pleasure in teasing him, non-regretfully reminding him about how he was enjoying the sun in Seoul, sipping on milkshakes whilst Chenle had to sport a bright green cast for the rest of the holidays. He only stops when Jeno tells him to.

For the rest of their Skype chat, Donghyuck spends it in silence, only butting in when he feels that its necessary to do so. Otherwise, he’s spending the time researching universities that taught English with the hopes of a career leading to a translator, both domestic universities and abroad. He also makes sure that he regularly applies his sunscreen like his mum had told him to do. The weather in Seoul was the hottest it was likely to get all week, and Donghyuck was unfortunately one of those who burnt so easily. He was not about to spend the rest of his holiday looking like a lobster.

His attention is drawn away from his laptop when he catches out the corner of his eye a figure emerging from the bar, and when he looks, the person is staring straight at them, sending a quick wave before walking over.

“Are you okay Donghyuck?” Jaemin asks

“Uh yeah, it’s just my mum” he lies “Looks like she’s back early from her trip. Don’t want to be rude and ignore her, so I’ll catch you guys later”

Donghyuck has just about enough time to say goodbye and shut his laptop before the person is standing over him.

“Donghyuck, right?” they ask, “You probably don’t remember me. I’m Yuta, the hungover one when Mark freaked out about you trying alcohol underage”

“I-I remember. You wanted him to drill your head like they did in ancient times” Donghyuck replies as Yuta smiles and takes a seat next to him, both of them sat there in an awkward silence before Yuta begins to speak.

“So, during our breakfast shift this morning, Mark wouldn’t wipe this look of utter concern from his face. When I asked what was wrong, he launched into a speech about you going through some troubles with your dad. Don’t worry, he didn’t tell me everything. Just about reluctance to accept career paths, all that jazz” he starts, “And when he finished, he asked me to go and talk to you. Something about offering support and ‘elderly advice’”

“He asked you?”

“Crazy, right?” Yuta replies with a laugh “But I guess you are kind of in the same boat as I was. My dad wanted me to carry on football you see; I was captain of the school’s team and from a young age I had try outs with a number of clubs. Apparently, there were a couple of clubs in Europe interested, but I think my dad just told me that out of spite when I later told him I didn’t want to carry it on anymore”

“Did you have an argument as well?”

“A massive argument!” Yuta exclaims, “He screamed at me, I said some pretty nasty things back. It hurt him even more when I said I was going to come here and study Korean rather than go abroad and study English. In fact, it’s only been recently he’s properly started to talk to me again” he finishes, making Donghyuck scoff.

“Wow, excellent ‘elderly advice’ you gave there” he says as Yuta gently pushes him

“What I’m trying to say is that rather than sugar coat it and say everything will be alright, it won’t be for a while. It might even take your dad a bit longer from what Mark told me” he begins, “But give it time and I’m sure he’ll come around eventually”

Donghyuck nods and gives Yuta the most grateful smile he can manage. No offence to anybody else who had tried to help him after their argument, but Yuta had been the only person to understand where he was coming from and actually give him more realistic advice, and Donghyuck hardly knew the guy that well.

“Did I do a good job of offering advice? Mark tried to threaten me earlier that if I only made you feel worse he’d come after me. Of course, he and I both know though that all I’d have to do was push him and he’d go crashing to the floor. It was a cute attempt though”

Laughing loudly, Donghyuck promises Yuta that he would give him a good review when Minhyung asked him about their little conversation later on. With that, Yuta gets up out of his seat and starts making his way back inside, waving Donghyuck over to him.

“Taeyong overheard Minhyung explaining everything to me earlier and felt sorry for you. He said to bring you in and he’d give you a sundae on the house. I swear he’s more of a mum than he means to be sometimes”

Whatever the case, Donghyuck was more than happy to sit there and take the sundae that was given to him, even teasing Minhyung when he briefly came over during a break.

“You never give me sundae’s!” he whines, “And _I’m_ family!”

Though Donghyuck was nice enough to let him have a little bit before his break was over and his shift started again. The remainder of his afternoon was spent by the bar, on his laptop watching YouTube videos and laughing at how ridiculous Yuta and Taeyong were when they bickered like a young married couple. He had to admit, his mood had cheered up significantly after the argument the day before, and Donghyuck made a note to thank Minhyung the next time he spoke to him.

His afternoon at the bar came to an end with dinner approaching and his mum calling him, telling him he needed to shower and get ready promptly. Apparently, the Kim father and his dad were able to strike a deal, and the two families were going to spend the evening celebrating, maybe even venturing into the city after they had finished dinner. Reluctantly, Donghyuck has to say goodbye to the others and slowly makes his way both to his room.

When he enters, he finds his dad looking through his camera. Most of the pictures were from the trip, with others being from his most recent birthday party and with his friends. Donghyuck doesn’t say anything, he just silently puts his belongings away and holds out his hands, not even looking at his dad when his camera is handed back to him and he rushes to get ready and jump in the shower.

 

 

 

By the time he and his parents had made it down for dinner, the Kim family were already seated and had gone ahead and ordered starters for the whole group. To further add to the celebration, there were also glasses of champagne waiting for the adults, and Donghyuck screwed his face up in disgust when his mum had offered him a sip.

The menu tonight was to supposedly be more Western, something different from the traditional menu the hotel offered. Starters would be the soup of the day, and then Donghyuck could look forward to spoiling himself silly with the menu choices. Minhyung wasn’t their waiter tonight, but he still spared the table a glance, and Donghyuck a smile and a wave, as he passed by.

“This is so good!” Yerim exclaims, taking another sip of the soup. Donghyuck nods in agreement before coughing slightly, trying to clear his throat. He wasn’t sure what was wrong, but something didn’t feel right with his throat. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, and kept telling himself to keep calm because panicking wouldn’t get him anywhere. He also told himself to keep calm so that he didn’t worry his mum and ruin dinner again.

“Are you okay?” Yerim asks when she sees the faces Donghyuck begins to make, Donghyuck waving her concern away

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Just feels like there’s something in my throat” he replies, trying to clear it with another cough but this attempt still hadn’t been successful. Telling himself to not worry again, Donghyuck goes to take another sip of his soup, but his spoon is yanked out of his hand, and his bowl is pulled away from him. When he looks up, he finds Minhyung staring back down at him, a frantic look on his face.

“The soup of the day is crab soup” he says, and that’s why Donghyuck’s throat had felt weird.

Still telling himself not to panic, Donghyuck doesn’t remember much after that. He tried to not make a fuss and draw attention to the table as he reached for his EpiPen. In the meantime, his mum had rushed over to him, frantically asking her husband what they should do. This still didn’t panic Donghyuck, and whilst everyone else was making a fuss over him, he already had his EpiPen in his hand and, without flinching, stabbed it through his shorts and into his leg, leaving it there until all the contents had emptied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Oh my God how could you do that to poor Donghyuck after everything he's been through?" 
> 
> Well, you see, when originally writing this I had an injury myself (I'm the type of person who just has to turn around and her back gives out on her), and amongst pain, sleepless nights, and hating everybody I was feeling petty and decided to give Donghyuck the same treatment. Now I'm fine and after going back to revisit the chapter, saw that I had actually put some effort into it and didn't have the heart to delete it... 
> 
> ... Sorry guys... 
> 
>  
> 
> A scene that didn't make the cut: a part that I was originally going to add after their heart to heart, was Yuta hinting that he knew Donghyuck was potentially gay (remember in like... chapter two when Donghyuck had the Skype conversation?) but then I thought "Yuta barely knows Donghyuck why would he suddenly know about his sexuality?" and thus, I skipped over that part completely and thus, took a chunk of this chapter out, just to make it more realistic *shrugs* I dunno


	7. Day 6- Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Donghyuck spends his day recovering with Netflix and room service fit for a Prince!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's the second to last day, oh Jesus no! Even I'm beginning to sadden over the inevitability of this sending soon!

Donghyuck doesn’t remember much from the hospital. He remembers tests being run on him, being given some tablets to take, and at one point he was sure he could hear his mum crying outside his hospital room. After what felt like forever, at almost one in the morning he was finally discharged and allowed home, prescribed some tablets and plenty of bed rest until he returned from Jeju.

Being allowed home, Donghyuck waited in his room with his dad whilst his mum went to organise a taxi back to the hotel. Neither of them say anything to each other, and Donghyuck sits on the edge of his bed whilst his dad stands next to him. When he does think of something to say, there’s only one thing Donghyuck can think of to say.

“Sorry I ruined your celebrations” he muttered and his dad didn’t reply, instead he sighed and gently ran his hand through Donghyuck’s hair.

By the time he had gotten back to the hotel- counting out the numerous times his mum had woken him up throughout the night to check if he was alright- Donghyuck only managed to get around five hours to sleep. Any other day, that would have been fine, but counting what had happened before, he had woken up extremely exhausted. That was the least of his worries though.

 

 

 

“We can’t go home _now!_ ”

Donghyuck and his parents are sat on the balcony of their hotel room. Not having the energy to go downstairs for breakfast, his parents had ordered room service instead and all were enjoying the morning view. After a brief discussion, his parents had agreed that maybe it was best if they went home today. The deal was signed, they had exhausted almost every part of the city, and Donghyuck was probably not going to be able to do anything for the rest of the time they had left.

“It’s the most sensible thing to do sweetie” his mum replies, “Your dad can call up and get us some seats right away. We haven’t brought much with us so packing will be easy and we can be back in Jeju by the evening”

“No! Please!” Donghyuck begs, “I don’t want you to cut the trip short just because of me! We can stay until the end! It’s not like I’m seriously ill. You heard what the doctor said; I just need to rest and take my tablets at the right times! It’s not like I’m dying or anything!”

“Donghyuck you were in hospital because you ate crab soup and none of us knew it. If it hadn’t had been for that waiter who knows what would have happened. Your mother and I have spoken and we feel it is best to go home tonight” his dad finally says, but Donghyuck is stubborn and doesn’t give up just yet. Though he never wanted to come to Seoul in the first place, he was actually enjoying himself. His parents were enjoying themselves. He couldn’t just say leave without properly saying goodbye to all the new friends he made, he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself!

“When do we ever get to go on a holiday like this?” he asks gently, “It’s usually one or two family members missing. This is the first time we’re all together! Go out and enjoy yourselves and properly celebrate. I can stay here, order some room service or something and just watch cartoons all day. You don’t have to worry about me _all_ the time!”

It takes a bit more negotiating, but Donghyuck is able to come to an agreement with his parents about the rest of their trip. They agreed to stay for the rest of the time they were in Seoul, so long as Donghyuck followed certain rules, the number one rule being that every two hours his mum would message him to check in, and he would reply straight away to keep her from panicking. With an agreement in place, Donghyuck had managed to secure the rest of his holiday, and was finally able to relax.

 

 

 

“Aren’t you bored out of your mind though? Staying inside on such a lovely day like this?”

“No way! I have a whole season of Voltron to catch up on, I’m more that contempt!”

Donghyuck’s first visit of the day was from Yerim. Her mum had also come with her before she, her husband, and Donghyuck’s parents had set off for the day to do “adult things” as they put it. Whatever it was, Donghyuck didn’t want to know. The whole time she was there, she kept apologising to Donghyuck for sending him to the hospital, and in all honesty, he didn’t really care anymore. That was in the past, and Donghyuck just didn’t want to see her tearing up anymore so that he wasn’t made any more uncomfortable than he had been already.

“What’s so special about a bunch of different coloured Lions anyway?” Yerim asks, rolling her eyes when Donghyuck gasps beside her

“I’ll have you know, those Lions form the most powerful weapon in the galaxy _and_ can take out most monsters in a single blow!” he exclaims, Yerim further ignoring him as she snatches some popcorn for herself and continues to watch the show regardless.

“I guess the Green Lion is kinda badass” Donghyuck hears her mutter, spending the rest of their time together explaining the basics of the show and why it was equally as good- if not slightly more superior on other levels- as the original 80’s show. By the time Yerim leaves to spend the afternoon with her grandparents, they had gotten through the third season and most of the first season so that Yerim could fully understand why Donghyuck loved it so much.

With nothing else that he wanted to watch, Donghyuck felt kind of bored. Scratch that, really bored. Yerim was right; the weather was really nice and it was bumming Donghyuck out that he didn’t have the energy to go out into the city as he would have liked to, room confinement beginning to get to him. Pausing for a moment, he came to the conclusion that it wouldn’t hurt if he spent some time lounging by the pool. So long as he took care of himself and took his tablets, he would be fine, and would be able to get some fresh air instead of the same stuffy room air.

It was a good plan, but Donghyuck hadn’t even made it to the lift on his floor before he began to slow down to catch his breath. Okay. Maybe he had really underestimated the amount of energy he had in him. He forgot how much allergic reactions took out of him.

“What are you doing? You should be in bed!”

Donghyuck looks up to see Minhyung running over to him, helping him off the wall he had slumped against.

“I didn’t want to be in my room so I was gonna head down to the pool” he replies sheepishly, blushing when Minhyung makes him lean against his side for support

“You can barely make it down the hall to the lift, let alone all the way down there!” he exclaims “Come on, I’m taking you back to your room.”

 

 

 

After a mini scolding from Minhyung about needing to take care of himself, the two of them were sat on the balcony, drinking from some drinks that Minhyung had ordered up to the room. By this time a nice late afternoon breeze had settled across the place, and Donghyuck was enjoying this far more than the stifling heat he had felt earlier.

“What are you doing here anyway?” he asks

“Before your parents left, your mum came to thank me for taking that soup away from you. She told me I was welcome to come visit you if I had some free time, but I was meant to be working all day. Managed to swap the remainder of my shift today with Yuta if I did his next two breakfast shifts. Not a bad deal if I say so myself.”

Donghyuck nods his head and both fall silent. The only noises heard coming from the bustling street nearby and the shrieks of kids that were playing in the pool below them. He had momentarily forgotten that it had been Minhyung who had saved him, and blushed at the thought of Minhyung seeing him in such a state.

“Thank for helping me last night” he says, Minhyung waving it away

“It was nothing. I was just surprised you hadn’t noticed sooner. You’re allergic to it!”

“Well, I kinda did suspect that something wasn’t right” Donghyuck admits, “But everyone was in such a good mood that I didn’t want to ruin it by making them panic”

“Oh wow, Lee Donghyuck worrying about other people’s fun at the expense of his own health. What a man” Minhyung announces sarcastically, laughing when Donghyuck tries to push him off his chair.

After that, the two fall into a comfortable silence again. Minhyung looks contempt at just sitting there looking at the scenery surrounding him. Donghyuck contemplates his next choice of words.

“Tomorrow is my last day here” he finally says, Minhyung pausing before nodding his head

“You must be excited to see your friends again” he replies

“Yeah but… I don’t know. I’m kind of really enjoying myself here and I don’t want to leave. Plus because of the whole hospital thing it’s not like my parents will let me out to do anything”

“Hm.” Minhyung thinks to himself, leaving Donghyuck hanging in ‘suspense’ before he begins to talk again, “I could talk to your parents, if you want. I know somewhere I could take you and it’s not like we’ll be running all over the place. It’ll be somewhere you can rest, whilst getting some of that fresh air you want. How does that sound?”

Somewhere, Donghyuck’s brain is telling him this sounds a lot like a date offer. Fighting down a blush, he nods his head and coughs to stop himself from stuttering, “Yeah okay. Sounds awesome.”

They spend the rest of the afternoon with Donghyuck introducing Minhyung to the Voltron club and Minhyung introducing Donghyuck to the ‘joys’ of Attack on Titan. Needless to say, one was taken slightly better than the other. With it being pizza night down at the bar, both go to town ordering room service and pigging out at the food in front of them. If it wasn’t for his metabolism, Donghyuck was sure that he would have been the size of a balloon by the end of their feast.

Donghyuck doesn’t remember falling asleep. When he’s woken up by his mum however, he’s tucked into his bed with his laptop neatly put away, and any trace of the mess they made with the pizza completely cleared from the room. That Minhyung guy was too sweet for his own good, and it was too much for Donghyuck’s feelings to handle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See I told you nothing serious was going to happen to Donghyuck! What kind of young lady do you take me for? I care about the people I write about! 
> 
> But yes, seeing as the next chapter is Day 7 I will have to do something special. Maybe something... extra fluffy...


	8. Day 7- Goodbyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Donghyuck's last day in Seoul, and it's finally time for him to say goodbye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, let me apologise for not updating since August! Being a uni student in her final year however, I needed to prioritise my studies before I could find the free time I needed to write this chapter out properly. 
> 
> I promised in the last chapter that I would make this one especially fluffy and I a woman of my word! So here's the fluffiest chapter I could muster for all of you Markhyuck fans!

Donghyuck wakes up before either of his parents have even stirred. Today is their last day in Seoul, and by tomorrow afternoon they would be back in Jeju. This whole trip had been one weird experience for Donghyuck; at first, he never wanted to, and now he didn’t want to leave. He had made new friends who were undoubtedly going to hunt and stalk his Facebook page (there were a number of things he was going to have to delete), and it had felt like he’d been here forever, not for seven days.

His dad’s alarm wouldn’t go off for another hour, so Donghyuck doesn’t bother trying to get the extra sleep. Instead, his thoughts drift to what Minhyung had planned for them, leaving him on a cliff hanger the previous night. His mind then wonders to the conversation he and his mum had after they had returned, and his dad had jumped into the shower.

“So, Minhyung tells me you want to get out of here tomorrow” she had started, sat on the edge of Donghyuck’s bed, “He pulled me aside and mentioned a couple of places that he could take you”

“It was just a thought we had. If you don’t want me going out, I can stay here to rest. I won’t be too upset” Donghyuck replied, waiting for his mum to agree with him and that would be the end of the matter.

“Oh come on, I’m not that strict of a mother! Most of the places he mentioned were parks and cafes, nothing too tiring. As long as you regularly message me, I’m more than happy to let you go”

Donghyuck’s sleepiness wore off the second he launched himself forward to hug his mum. He knew that if anybody, she’d be the easiest one to convince and get onto his side. Going to sleep that night, his mind was taken up with the thoughts that kept him awake as his dad’s alarm went off and his parents began to stir; just what had Minhyung planned for the two of them?

 

 

 

“It’s your last day and I’m not even gonna be here to spend it with you!”

Yerim and Donghyuck stand in the hotel lobby amidst the hustle and bustle of people checking in and out and moving towards the hotel swimming pool, wanting to make most of today’s weather. Donghyuck was waiting for Minhyung to meet him so they could head out together, praying that Yerim would leave before he arrived. Yerim meanwhile was waiting for her grandmother to come pick her up, wanting to spend the day with her and her mother.

“Well, you know what grandparents are like, they always get their way somehow” Donghyuck jokes, patting her on the back “Besides, you’ll be joining us for dinner tonight _and_ seeing us off at the airport, so we will spend some time together”

“It’s not the same!” Yerim exclaims and throws her arms around Donghyuck, catching him off guard. Was she always this dramatic? Were girls in general always this dramatic?

By a stroke of luck, Yerim had left merely minutes before Minhyung finally turned up, and to Donghyuck’s surprise, carrying a picnic basket with him that looked almost full and very heavy.

“Taeyong and Yuta overheard me explaining what was happening today. This is their doing” he explains, blushing slightly and smiling embarrassedly when Donghyuck laughs in return.

As Minhyung promised, neither of them would be doing anything too strenuous for the day. Though Donghyuck was feeling much better, he still had to slow down when he walked or felt more tired than usual when doing something as simple as going to the toilet. Just the walk to the bus stop from the hotel had him sitting on the bench catching his breath. When Minhyung began to worry and suggested that they just go back to the hotel and spend the day there, Donghyuck refused, telling him they were going to enjoy their final day together even if it killed him!

“Where are we going anyway?” he asks, Minhyung smirking and tapping the edge of his nose

“That’s for me to know, and for you to find out.”

Good weather meant that droves of people would obviously want to go out and enjoy it. Being in Seoul only made the journey to their destination that more horrendous. As if two boys getting on a bus with a picnic basket didn’t garner them enough stares, there was also the added drama of finding somewhere to sit. The moment a seat opened up, Minhyung pushed Donghyuck down onto it and put the basket on his lap, standing up next to him and occasionally checking to see if he was alright. The journey wasn’t long, but with the crowded bus, stifling heat, and a baby beginning to cry every hundred metres the bus moved, it was unbearable. Donghyuck was glad when the two of them finally got off the thing.

 

 

 

“We’re here!” Minhyung exclaims happily, putting the basket down and flopping onto the grass. Donghyuck stays standing, taking in his surroundings before it finally clicked exactly where ‘here’ was. He thought he recognised it from all the dramas Jaemin made him watch.

“Han River?” he asks, “You know, the cameras make this place a lot prettier than it actually is”

Minhyung rolls his eyes and uses his foot to gently shove Donghyuck’s leg, the younger pushing his foot away as he sat down next to him and took in his surroundings. There were cafes and restaurants near the river, children screeching as they played nearby, and plenty of people getting their pictures worth around them. A gentle summer breeze began to make its way through the area, and Donghyuck sighs happily as Minhyung sits up and start emptying the basket.

“Because this place is popular, some of the cafes and restaurants can be pretty expensive” he begins, “But why pay all that money when you can get the good stuff for free!”

Plastic plates, knives, forks, and cups set out on the grass, Minhyung then begins pulling out tubs of food, Donghyuck’s mouth watering at each tub that was pulled out.

“You know, if this is a picnic date we’re on, there should really be a blanket. Bad service if I say so myself”

Donghyuck realises a little too late that he had called it a date in front of Minhyung. The other however showed no signs of being bothered by it, instead scoffing and shaking his head.

“I’m a waiter, not a miracle worker. Now do you want some food or do you want to starve?”

The food, unsurprisingly, is delicious and once or twice Minhyung has to stop Donghyuck from being too greedy and stealing the food for himself, going so far as to take dishes for himself so he actually got a good amount to eat.

“I should have come here earlier. This place is amazing” Donghyuck comments, leaning back on his hands to take in the view before getting his phone out and snapping some photos, even pulling Minhyung in for one of the two of them together.

“You’ll need to send that one to me” Minhyung says, Donghyuck nodding his head as he scrolls through the pictures he had taken

“Don’t worry I will. I’ll also send the other pictures from the arcade” he replies, pausing and frowning when Minhyung sticks his hand out.

“So I can put my number on your phone” the elder explains but this only deepens Donghyuck’s frown

“I was just gonna send these to you on Facebook” he replies and Minhyung laughs slightly

“Sure, but how else are you going to practice your English if we can’t practice over the phone? You’ll need to know the language well if you want to study abroad”

Nodding dumbly, Donghyuck hands his phone over and after some fidgeting, Minhyung has his number saved on Donghyuck’s phone, handing it back to him with a smile before lying down on the grass and closing his eyes, soaking up the sun. Donghyuck remains sat upright, phone clutched to his chest as his face turns a deeper shade of red. Did this actually just happen? Or is he in one big dream that was majorly messing with him?

“Despite obvious hiccups, have you at least enjoyed your time here?” Minhyung asks, completely oblivious to Donghyuck’s inner turmoil

“Despite almost ruining my relationship with my dad and ending up in the hospital? Yeah, I guess this trip was alright. I mean, Yerim isn’t so bad, and Taeyong and Yuta are pretty cool as well” Donghyuck begins, smiling to himself, “But this one waiter… I don’t about him, he’s kind of shifty”

Minhyung opens one of his eyes, a slight smirk on his lips, “Oh really?”

“Oh yeah” Donghyuck replies with a rapid nod of his head. “Crashing into guests and nearly breaking a tray of plates, scaring guests so that they fall off the chair. Let’s not forget the time they nearly scolded a guest by ripping a bowl of soup away from them”

“Hey! I was stopping you from dying!” Minhyung exclaims, shoving Donghyuck over when he hears the younger laughing at his expense.

“I was serious about the first part!” Donghyuck replies, “I really have had an amazing time. Makes me not want to go back home”

“Maybe I’ll come to Jeju next summer, see what all of the fuss is about the place” Minhyung comments, and though it only sounds like a passing thought, Donghyuck really hopes he does come to visit.

Afternoon turns into late afternoon, and very slowly the area they’re in begins to fill up with more people. Making note of the time, Minhyung decides it’s time to leave and, without a second thought, grabs Donghyuck’s hand as they worked their way through the expanding crowds. Once they were out of the crowds however, Minhyung still kept a hold of his hand, not letting go until they were on the bus. The perfect end to Donghyuck’s week.

 

 

 

 

“Donghyuck sweetie we’re going to be late!” his mum calls as Donghyuck runs down the reception and towards the bar and restaurant

“Just give me five seconds! I need to do something really quickly” he calls back, his dad rolling his eyes whilst his mum shakes her head.

Pausing by the entrance, Donghyuck looks around until his eyes settle on the person he’d been looking for. Luckily for him, Minhyung is the only one in the restaurant at the moment setting up for breakfast, so he’s not that embarrassed when he quickly walks over to him and pulls him in for a hug.

“I’ll message you when I land in Jeju” he says, pulling back as Minhyung laughs and ruffles his hair. Whatever compels him at this moment to do so, Donghyuck’s not even sure, but he leans in and quickly kisses Minhyung on the cheek, waving back to him as he runs back out to the reception. Minhyung’s left where he stands; eyes wide, face as red as a tomato, his hand holding  the cheek that Donghyuck had kissed...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like the little "bonus" bit I put in at the end? ;) 
> 
> But yes, alas, this has come to an end. I really hope you enjoyed all 8 chapters, and thank you to everybody who bookmarked this, gave this kudos, and commented, and just made this experience that much more enjoyable for me. 
> 
> Until the next fic!!

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure how many chapters this will be. Probably seven, possibly eight. I have the first two "days" written out already, so the next one may be up as quickly as tomorrow or Saturday depending on how much editing I need to do. So yeah, hopefully you'll enjoy this as much as I do (I don't even know where I'm going with this. So this is an adventure for all of us really!... Pray for me).


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